the…angels: But elsewhere (18:2) Scripture calls them men! When the Shechinah was with them, it calls them men. Another explanation: In connection with Abraham, whose power was great, and the angels were as frequently with him as men, it calls them men, but in connection with Lot, it calls them angels. — [from Gen. Rabbah 52; Tan. Buber, Vayera 20]

in the evening: Now did the angels tarry so long from Hebron to Sodom? But they were angels of mercy, and they were waiting, perhaps Abraham would succeed in his defense for them [the cities]. — [from Gen. Rabbah 50:1]

and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom: [The word יֹשֵׁב is written without a“vav” so that it can be read יָשַׁב “he sat,” in the past tense]. On that very day, they had appointed him judge over them. — [from Gen. Rabbah 50:3]

ולוט ישב בשער סדום: ישב כתיב אותו היום מינוהו שופט עליהם:

and Lot saw: From Abraham’s house he learned to look for wayfarers. — [from Tan. Buber, Vayera 15]

וירא לוט וגו': מבית אברהם למד לחזור על האורחים:

2And he said, "Behold now my lords, please turn to your servant's house and stay overnight and wash your feet, and you shall arise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will stay overnight in the street."

Behold now, my lords: “ Behold you are now lords to me since you have passed beside me.” Another explanation: “Behold now you must pay heed to these wicked men, that they should not recognize you,” and this is sound advice.

and stay overnight and wash your feet: Now is it customary for people to first stay overnight and afterwards to wash? Moreover, Abraham said to them first, “and wash your feet!” But so did Lot say (i.e., he reasoned), “If, when the people of Sodom come, they will see that they have already washed their feet, they will invent false accusations against me and say, ‘Two or three days have already passed since they came to your house, and you did not let us know!’” Therefore, he said, “It is better that they remain here with the dust on their feet, so that they should appear as though they had just arrived now.” Therefore he said, “Stay overnight” first and afterwards, “wash.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 50:4]

And they said, “No…”: But to Abraham they said,“So shall you do…” From here [we learn] that one may refuse an offer by a person of lesser importance, but should not refuse an offer by a great man (Gen. Rabbah 50:4).

When they had not yet retired, the people of the city, the people of Sodom: It is interpreted in Gen. Rabbah (50:5) as follows: When they had not yet retired, the people of the city were the topic of conversation of the angels, for they were asking Lot about their character and their deeds, and he told them that most of them were wicked. While they were still speaking about them, “And the people of the city,” etc. The simple meaning of the verse, however, is: “and the people of the city, people of wickedness, surrounded the house.” Because they were wicked, they are called people of Sodom, as Scripture states (above 13:13): “And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful…”

8Behold now I have two daughters who were not intimate with a man. I will bring them out to you, and do to them as you see fit; only to these men do nothing, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."

because they have come: Heb. כִּי עַל כֵּן. Do this favor in my honor, because they have come into the shade of my roof [lit. my beam]. The Targum renders: בִּטְלֵל שָׁרִיתִי, in the shade of my beam. The Targum of קוֹרָה, beam, is שָׁרוּתָא.

9But they said, "Back away." And they said, "This one came to sojourn, and he is judging! Now, we will deal even worse with you than with them." And they pressed hard upon the man Lot, and they drew near to break the door.

But they said, “Back away.”: Heb. גֶּשׁ הָלְאָה, “Get yourself away over there”; i.e.,“Draw near to the sides and distance yourself from us.” And similarly every [instance of] הָלְאָה in Scripture is an expression of distancing, as in (Num. 17:2) “Scatter away (הָלְאָה)”; (I Sam. 20:22, 37) “Behold, the arrows are beyond you (וָהָלְאָה).” Thus, גֶּשׁ הָלְאָה, means “Back away,” in Old French: trete de nos, go away from us. This is a word of rebuke, as if to say. “We don’t care about you,” and similar to it is (Isa. 65:5) “Keep (קְרַב) to yourself; do not come near me”; and so (ibid. 49:20): “Move aside (גְּשָׁה) so that I may dwell,” meaning, “Draw aside for my sake so that I will dwell beside you.” [The Sodomites were saying as follows]: “You intercede for the wayfarers? How dare you?!” In response to what he said to them about his daughters, they said to him, “Go away,” a mild expression, but in response to what he said in defense of the wayfarers, they said, “This one has come to sojourn.” You are the only stranger among us, for you have come to sojourn here, “and he is judging,” [meaning] and you have become our chastiser!?

A son-in-law, your sons, and your daughters: If you have a son-in-law or sons and daughters, take them out of this place.

חתן ובניך ובנותיך: אם יש לך חתן או בנים ובנות הוצא מן המקום:

your sons: The sons of your married daughters. According to the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 50:5) the interpretation of עֹד is: “Still, after they have committed such a disgraceful deed, do you still have an excuse to defend them?” For the whole night he [Lot] was speaking in their favor. This may be read עֹד מִי לְךָ פֶּה: Do you still have a mouth? (i.e., Do you still have anything to say to justify them?)

14So Lot went forth and spoke to his sons-in-law, the suitors of his daughters, and he said, "Arise, go forth from this place, for the Lord is destroying the city," but he seemed like a comedian in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

But he tarried: in order to save his possessions. — [from Gen. Rabbah 50:11]

ויתמהמה: כדי להציל את ממונו:

took hold: Heb. וַיַחִזִיקוּ [in the plural form] (Gen. Rabbah 50:11). One of them was an emissary to save him and his companion was to overturn Sodom; therefore, it is stated: “and he said: Flee…,” and it is not stated, “and they said.”

Flee for your life: Let it suffice for you to save lives. Do not worry about possessions. — [from Tosefta Sanh. 14:1]

המלט על נפשך: דייך להציל נפשות, אל תחוס על הממון:

do not look behind you: You dealt wickedly together with them, but in Abraham’s merit you are saved. You do not deserve to see their punishment while you are being saved. — [from obscure midrashic source]

Flee to the mountain: Flee to Abraham, who dwells on the mountain, as it is said (above 12:8): “And he moved from there to the mountain.” And even now, he was dwelling there, as it is said (above 13:3): “until the place where his tent had previously been.” And although it says (ibid. verse 18): “And Abram pitched his tents, etc.,” he had many tents, and they extended until Hebron.

Flee: Heb. הִמָּלֵט. An expression of slipping away, and so is every [instance of] הַמְלָטָה in Scripture, asmuzer in Old French, to escape, slip away. And so (Isa. 66:7): “She delivered (וְהִמְלִיטָה) a male child,” meaning that the fetus was released from the womb; (Ps. 124:7): “escaped (נִמְלְטָה) like a bird”; (Isa. 46:2): “they could not deliver (מַלֵּט) the burden,” i.e., to release the burden of the excrement in their orifices.

“Please do not, O Lord”: Our Sages said (Shev. 35b) that this name is holy (referring to God), because it is stated in its context (verse 19): “to sustain my soul,” referring to He Who has the power to cause to die and to cause to live. And the Targum [similarly] renders: Please now, my Lord.

19Behold now, Your servant has found favor in Your eyes, and You have increased Your kindness, which You have done with me, to sustain my soul. But I cannot flee to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.

lest the evil overtake me: When I was among the people of Sodom, the Holy One, blessed be He, saw my deeds and the deeds of the people of the city, and I appeared righteous and worthy of being saved. But when I shall come alongside a righteous man, I shall be considered a wicked man. And so did the woman of Zarephath say to Elijah (I Kings 17: 18): “Have you come to me to cause my sins to be remembered?” Before you came to me, the Holy One, blessed be He, would see my deeds and the deeds of my people, and I was a righteous woman among them, but since you have come to me, compared to your deeds, I am wicked. — [from Gen. Rabbah 50:11]

this city is near: (Shab. ch. 1, 10b) Its settlement is near [in time], meaning that it was recently settled. Therefore, its measure is not yet full. And how recently was it settled? From the Generation of the Dispersion, when the people commenced to disperse, and they started to settle, each one in his place, and that took place in the year of Peleg’s death. And from then until now, there were 52 years, for Peleg died when Abraham was 48 years old. How so? Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu, 209 years (above 11:19). Subtract from them 32 [years] when Serug was born, and 30 years from [the birth of] Serug until Nahor was born, totaling 62 years. And from [the birth of] Nahor until Terah was born were 29 years, totaling 91 years. And from then until Abraham was born were 70 years, totaling 161 years. Add 48 years to them, and the total is 209 years, and that was the year of the Dispersion. (See above 10:25). When Sodom was destroyed, Abraham was 99 years old. Hence, from the Generation of the Dispersion until now were 52 years. The settlement of Zoar took place after the settlement of Sodom and its companions by one year. That is the meaning of“Let me please (נָא) flee there.” נָא has the numerical value of 51.

Is it not small?: Are not its iniquities few? Therefore, you can leave it alone.

הלא מצער היא: והלא עונותיה מועטין, ויכול אתה להניחה:

And my soul will survive: therein. This is its midrashic interpretation. But the simple meaning is [as follows]: It is a small city with a small population. You do not have to care if you spare it and my soul survives therein. — [from Targum Onkelos]

Hasten, flee there, for I will not be able to do: This is the angels’ punishment because they said (verse 13): “For we are destroying,” and they attributed the matter to themselves; therefore they did not move from there until they were compelled to say that the matter was not in their power. — [based on Gen. Rabbah 50:9]

for I will not be able: [This expression is] in the singular. From here you learn that one was to overturn [the cities] and one was to save [Lot and his family], because two angels are not sent for one mission. — [from Gen. Rabbah 50:2]

And the Lord caused to rain down: Wherever it is written “And the Lord,” it refers to God and His tribunal. — [from Gen. Rabbah 51:2]

וה' המטיר: כל מקום שנאמר וה' הוא ובית דינו:

caused to rain down upon Sodom: At the rise of dawn, as it is stated (verse 15): “And as the dawn rose,” a time when the moon is in the sky with the sun. Since some of them worshipped the sun and some of them the moon, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If I punish them by day, the moon worshippers will say, ‘Had it been at night, when the moon rules, we would not have been destroyed.’ And if I punish them at night, the sun worshippers will say, ‘Had it been by day, when the sun rules, we would not have been destroyed.’” Therefore, it is written: “And as the dawn rose”: He punished them at a time when the sun and the moon [both] rule. — [from Gen. Rabbah 60:12]

caused to rain down, etc., brimstone and fire: At first it was rain, and it became brimstone and fire. — [from Mechilta Beshallach, Massechta d’Shiratha, ch. 5]

המטיר וגו' גפרית ואש: בתחלה מטר ונעשה גפרית ואש:

from the Lord: It is customary for the Scriptural verses to speak in this manner, as in (above 4:23): “wives of Lemech,” and he did not say, “my wives.” And so did David say (I Kings 1:33): “Take with you the servants of your lord,” and he did not say, “my servants”; and so did Ahasuerus say (Esther 8:8): “in the name of the king,” and he did not say, “in my name.” Here too it states “from the Lord,” and it does not state “from Him.” - [from Sanh. 38b]

from heaven: This is what Scripture says (Job 36:31): “For He judges the nations therewith” [i.e., with the heavens]. When He comes to chastise mankind, He brings upon them fire from heaven, as He did to Sodom, and when He comes to let down the manna, [it is also] from heaven [as Scripture states] (Exod. 16:4): “Behold I am raining down to you bread from heaven.” - [from Tan. Buber, Beshallach 20]

And He turned over these cities, etc.: The four of them were situated on one rock, and He turned them upside down, as it is said (Job 28:9): “He stretched forth His hand upon the flinty rock, etc.” [He turned it over from the root of the mountains.]- [from Gen. Rabbah 51:4]

and she became a pillar of salt: She sinned with salt, and she was punished with salt. He said to her, “Give a little salt to these guests.” She replied,“Also this evil custom you wish to introduce into this place?” - [from Gen. Rabbah 50:4]

smoke: Heb. קִיטוֹר a pillar of smoke, torche in Old French, column of fire (or smoke).

קיטור: תימור של עשן טורק"א [לפיד] בלע"ז:

furnace: An excavation in which stones are burned into lime. This is the meaning of כִּבְשָׁן wherever it appears in Scripture.

כבשן: חפירה ששורפין בה את אבנים לסיד, וכן כל כבשן שבתורה:

29And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when He overturned the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

that God remembered Abraham: What does the remembrance of Abraham have to do with Lot? He remembered that Lot knew that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, and that he had heard in Egypt that Abraham said about Sarah, “She is my sister,” yet he did not reveal the matter because he [Lot] had pity on him [Abraham]. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, had pity on him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 51:6]

And they gave, etc., to drink: Wine was made available to them in the cave, to make it possible for two nations to emerge from them. — [from Sifrei Ekev 43]

ותשקין וגו': יין נזדמן להן במערה להוציא מהן שני אומות:

and lay with her father: But in the case of the younger, it says: “and she lay with him.” Since the younger one was not the initiator of the illicit relations, but rather her sister taught it to her, Scripture covers up for her and does not explicitly tell of her disgrace. But [concerning] the elder, who initiated the illicit relations, Scripture publicizes her explicitly (Tan. Buber, Balak 26).

or of her rising up: Heb. וּבְקוּמָהּ, mentioned in conjunction with the elder, is dotted (i.e., there is a dot over the second “vav”), to denote that when she arose, he did know, but nevertheless he was not careful not to drink on the second night (Nazir 23a). (Said Rabbi Levi: Whoever is inflamed by the lust for illicit relations, will ultimately be made to eat his own flesh (i.e., to commit incest). - [from Gen. Rabbah 51:9] [This does not appear in all editions of Rashi.]

34And it came to pass on the morrow, that the elder said to the younger, "Behold, last night I lay with my father. Let us give him wine to drink tonight too, and come, lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father."

And…conceived: Although a woman does not conceive from the first intercourse, these controlled themselves and took out their maidenhoods and conceived from the first intercourse. — [from Gen. Rabbah 51:9]

Moab: This one, who was immodest, publicized that he was from her father (מוֹאָב-מֵאָב), but the younger one named him euphemistically (בֶּן עַמִּי, the son of my people) and was rewarded in the time of Moses, for it is stated concerning the children of Ammon (Deut. 2:19): “You shall not involve yourself in strife with them” at all, but concerning Moab, He warned them only not to wage war with them, but He permitted them [the Israelites] to cause them pain. — [from Nazir 23b]